Upper pressing machine



April 26, 1932.

J. W. LONEY UPPER FRESSING MACHINE Filed March 22, 1929 Q Fig. 1.

2 Sheets-Sheet' 1 April 26, 1932. J w LONEY 1,855,247

I UPPER PRESSING MACHINE Filed March 22, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Apr. 26, 1932 UNITED s'raras earner OFFICE JOHN W. LONEY, F BROGKTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO 0. A. MILLER TREEING MACHINE COMPANY, OF PORTLAND, MAINE, A CORPORATION OF MAINE UPPER PRESSING MACHINE Application filed. March 22, 1929. Serial No. 349,262.

This invention relates to upper pressing machines and is herein illustrated in a machine adapted for pressing and creasing the tongue of a completed shoe, although it is to be understood that the invention is not necessarily limited to use in operating upon shoe tongues of shoes which have been other- Wise substantially completed.

The upper leather utilized for manufacappearance may count quite as much as in 2D the more expensive shoes. To smooth out the shoe tongue before it is inserted in the shoe might be of little benefit because it would be likely to be crumpled during the manufacture of the shoe and, accordingly, it is desirable to press the tongue after the shoe has been completed.

It is well understood that upper leather can be smoothed and somewhat stiffened by the application of a heated iron but it will be at once evident that the heated irons, usually with two handles, which are commonly used for treeing cannot be used effectively upon the tongue of a shoe because of the inaccessibility of the lower portion of the tongue and because of the lack of support for the tongue by the last, which latter difficulty is accentuated after the last has been removed, a condition which obtains in the packing room;

An object of the invention is to provide a machine by means of which the tongues of completed shoes may be smoothed as by press- 1n ln accordance with important features of the invention, the novel shoe tongue pressing machine, as illustrated, utilizes coacting substantially complementary dies for contact with the inner and outer surfaces of the shoe tongue to smooth the tongue, the pressing surfaces being curved transversely to the longitudinal axes of the dies. The lower die, as illustrated is convex and is elongated in the direction of the length of a depending supporting arm so that the die may be inserted within a finished shoe to support the shoe tongue. When the dies are in engagement with the work the coacting surfaces which engage the shoe tongue are equally spaced at all points so as to apply a uniform pressure to the interposed tongue and as a result of the curvature of the dies a transverse curvature is imparted to the shoe tongue which tends to stiffen it longitudinally so as to make it less limp and less likely to fall back into the shoe. Preferably, and as illustrated, the coacting surfaces of the dies have a uniform curvature throughout their length and comprise surfaces of revolution. For womens and childrens shoes, the surfaces of the dies are frusto-conical with the smaller end of the supporting die at the outer end of the arm, thereby making said die better adapted for insertion in the limited space available within the shoe.

It may be desired, either from the standpoint of added ornamentation or because of a desire to impart an additional longitudinal stiffness to the tongue, to crease the tongues longitudinally. To this endand in accordance with still another feature of the invention, the illustrated dies are arranged one with a longitudinal rib and the other with a complemental groove and with adjacent surfaces falling away therefrom, so that the tongues are creased and pressed at the same time.

These and other features of the invention are more fully set forth in the following specification taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a machine for creasing the tongues of shoes;

Fig. 2 is a similar view,'on an enlarged scale, of the coacting dies of such a machine with parts broken away and in section showing the dies in contact with the work;

Fig. 3 is a perspective View of the coacting dies, taken from the outer end, upon an enlarged scale and with the forward parts of the dies shown in section; and

' die in the plunger.

other hand, is provided with a square groove Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a portion of a womans shoe showing the tongue after it has been pressed and creased.

The machine is so arranged that the tongue 10 with its lining 11 of a completed shoe 12 may be presented between a lower convex die 14 and an upper concave die 16 as the shoe is held by the operative with the heel portion directed inwardly away from the operative so that the tongue 10 may be readily laid over the outer end of the lower die 14. This lower die 14 is supported on a depending, outwardly extending arm 18 the upper end of which is bolted to a frame 20 of a machine which may conveniently be of the type illustrated in Letters Patent of the United States No. 1,002,393, granted September 5, 1911, upon an application of J. S. Hansen, to which reference may be had for a description of parts of the machine not herein fully shown or described. The upper die 16 is secured to a vertically slidable plunger 22 which, when it is released by depression of the toe end 24 of an operating lever 26 pivoted in the machine and having a foot pedal 27, drops into contact with the work and then is given additional pressure by means of a curved plate 28 actuated by the same lever 26 and adapted to override and forcibly depress a roller 30 upon the upper end of the plunger 22. The upper die 16 is provided with a rib 32 (Fig. 3) which is received in a groove in the lower end of the plunger 22 and against which the end of a clamp screw 34 presses to hold the The lower die 14, on the to receive the squared end 36 ofthe arm 18, and with a loop 38 and a set-screw 40 for clamping the die upon the arm.

The operative upper surface 42 of the lower die 14 is convex, of uniform curvature throughout its length, and, as herein shown, is frusto-conical with its smaller end pointed outwardly so that it may readily be introduced into the shoe 12 to support the tongue 10 all the way down to the point where it is attached to the shoe. In order that it may coact with the lower die throughout its length, the upper die 16 is provided with a concave inner surface 44 which is, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, equally spaced throughout the whole of its operative portion from the surface 42 of the lower die when in engagement with the work. By this arrangement a uniform pressure is applied to smooth out all parts of the shoe ton ue 10 with its lining 11, and the tongue is given a transverse curvature which imparts to it a longitudinal stifness so that the tongue will stand up in its natural position in the finished shoe.

If it is desired to crease the tongue at the same time that the tongue is pressed, then the lower die 14 is provided with an upwardly projecting rib the surface of which merges into the adjacent surfaces 42 of said die which fall away from said rib 50. The upper die is provided with a groove 52 which, in its operative position in contact with the work, is equally spaced from the opposed portion of the rib 50 at all points where it engages the work. This groove, as may be seen from Figs. 2 and 3, is slightly deeper than the rib 50 is high thereby to avoid cutting the work. By means of this device a central longitudinal ridge or crease 54 may be made in the tongue which will not only give the shoe an attractive appearance but will also increase the stiffness of the tongue and help it to stand up in natural position.

It is well understood that, with many kinds of leather, heat may advantageously be applied through one or both of the dies in order to increase their effectiveness, and to this end the lower end 36 of the arm 18 is recessed to receive a cartrid e heating unit 56 supplied with current through a. junction box 58. Similarly, if it is desired to heat the upper die 16, either separately or together with the lower die, heat may be supplied through cartridge heating units 60 electrically connected to the same junction box 58 and mounted in a metal block 62 which slidingly engages the side of the plunger 22. Frequently the heating of the lower die is all that is necessary and in that case there is somewhat less chance that the operative will burn his hands by contact with the heated die.

It is believed that the operation of the machine will be evident from the preceding description and attention is called to the facility with which a large quantity of shoes may be presented successively to the machine with the tongues 10 of these shoes between the dies 14 and 16 and said dies brought into engagement with the work by actuation of the lever 26 through the foot pedal 27. Inasmuch as the shoe is held with the toe end toward the operatives body, it is very easy for him to position the tongue of the shoe correctly between the dies so as to bring the crease 54 exactly in. the center of the tongue and the work may be carried out speedily and economically.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a machine for pressing the tongue of a completed shoe, coacting pressing dies having substantially complementary surfaces for contact with substantially the whole width of the inner and outer surfaces of a shoe tongue, said die surfaces being equally spaced at all points when the dies are in operative relation to one another and engaging the shoe tongue.

2. Ina machine for pressing the tongue of a shoe, coacting concave and convex elongated rigid presser dies in engagement with the opposite surfaces of the shoe tongue. said dies having wide work contacting surfaces which are surfaces of revolution, and which work contacting surfaces when in engagement with the work have a common axis whereby they are evenly spaced at all points.

3. In a machine for pressing the whole of the tongue of a completed shoe, coacting concave and convex presser dies curved about a longitudinal axis and constructed and arranged so that any section taken through the dies normal to the axis of the dies when the dies are in operative relation to and engagement with a shoe tongue, will cut the surfaces of the dies in curves which are substantially equally spaced at all points along the operative portions of the dies, whereby the pressure of the dies upon an interposed shoe tongue will be substantially equal on all parts of the tongue engaged by the dies.

4. In a machine for pressing the tongue of a completed shoe, coacting elongated dies having coacting pressing surfaces for engaging the inner and outer surfaces of a shoe tongue, said surfaces being substantially frusto-conical.

5. In a machine for pressing the tongue of a completed shoe, a depending outwardly extending arm, a die having a broad convex pressing surface of relatively large radius, said die being mounted at the outer end of said arm and being elongated in the direction of the length of the arm whereby the die may be inserted within a finished shoe to coact with the inner surface of a shoe tongue, a coacting die having a concave substantially similar surface adapted to contact with the outer surface of the shoe tongue to press it against the first-named die, and means for movably supporting and pressing said dies together to impart to the whole width of said shoe tongue a transverse curvature tending to stiffen it along its length.

6. In a machine for pressing the tongue of a shoe, coacting pressing dies having substantially complementary wide, smooth surfaces for contact with the inner and outer surfaces of a shoe tongue constructed and arranged to smooth the whole tongue, and means for relatively moving said dies to bring them into engagement with the shoe tongue.

7. In a machine for pressing the whole width of the tongue of a completed shoe, a depending outwardly extending arm, an elongated die having a pressing surface which is convex transversely to the longitudinal axis of the die and produced by the revolution of a straight line around that axis, said die being mounted at the outer end of said arm with its axis in the direction of the length of the arm whereby the die may be inserted within a finished shoe to coact with the inner surface of the shoe tongue, and a coacting die having a wide concave substantially similar surface adapted to contact with the outer surface of the shoe tongue to press it against the first-named die.

8. In a machine for pressing the tongue of a completed shoe to give said tongue a central upstanding ridge, a die for engagement with the inner surface of the tongue to support the same, said die having an extended pressing surface and a central longitudinal ridge protruding from said surface, another pressing die providing a substantially complementary surface-to contact with the outer surface of the shoe tongue to press and to smooth out the lateral surfaces of the tongue, said dies being constructed and arranged for relative movement to engage the shoe tongue and'to separate, to permit the removal of one piece of work and the substitution of another.

9. In a machine for pressing the tongue of a completedshoe, a depending outwardly extending arm, a die ha ing a convex pressing surface mounted at the outer end of said arm and elongated in the direction of the length of the arms so that the die may be inserted within a finished shoe to coact with the inner surface of the shoe tongue, said die having a substantially frusto-conical pressing surface with its smaller radius at the outer end, a coacting concave die having a substantially complementary pressing surface adapted to be brought into engagement with the outer surface of the tongue supported on the firstnamed die, anu means for producing relative movement between said dies to press the tongue so as to impart a transverse curvature thereto to stiffen it lengthwise.

10. In a machine for pressing and creasing a shoe tongue, coacting dies having substantially complementary pressing surfaces and provided the one with a longitudinal rib and the other with a longitudinal groove deeper than the rib is high merging into said curved pressing surfaces so as simultaneously to impart a longitudinal crease to the shoe tongue and to smooth out the adjacent surfaces of the tongue, and means for heating one of the dies.

11. In a machine for creasing and pressing the tongue of a completed shoe, coacting elongated dies one of which is provided with a convex substantially frusto-conical pressing surface having a longitudinal rib and the other of which is provided with a concave substantially frusto-conical pressing surface having a complementary groove whereby the tongue may be simultaneously creased and pressed to impart to it a transverse curvature with a central crease, both tending to stiffen the tongue longitudinally.

12. In a machine for creasing and pressing the tongue of a womans completed shoe, a depending outwardly extending arm provided with a convex substantially frustoconical die extending along the length of the arm with its smaller end directed outwardly to facilitate its insertion within a shoe of small size so that the outer end may engage the inner surface of the base of the tongue, said die having a longitudinal rib merging gradually into adjacent convex surfaces, a coacting substantially complementary die having a concave conical pressing surface provided with a centrally disposed groove, and means for producing relative movement between said dies to bring them into engagement with the opposite surfaces of the tongue of the shoe, thereby to crease and impart a transverse curvature to the tongue.

13. In a machine for pressing the tongue of a completed shoe, a depending outwardly extending arm, a die having a broad convex pressing surface of relatively large radius, said die being mounted at the outer end of said arm and being elongated in the direction of the length of the arm and smaller at its free end, whereby the die may be inserted within a finished shoe to coact with the inner surface of a shoe tongue, a coacting die having a concave substantially similar surface adapted to contact with the outer surface of the shoe tongue to press it against the firstnamed die, and means for pressing said dies together to impart to the Whole Width of said shoe tongue a transverse curvature tending to stiffen it along its length.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

JOHN W. LONEY. 

